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COVID-19 Depletes State Prison Staffs Nationwide, Forcing Consolidation of Facilities and Increasing Risk to All
by Derek Gilna
COVID-19’s impact on American society has been dramatic, but no more so than in prisons and jails. While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended maintaining “social distancing” and governmental officials closed or mandated drastically reduced capacity of public buildings to stop the spread of ...
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More from this issue:
- Jail Suicides in Massachusetts Point to National Crisis: Challenging Legislatures to Say Not One More, by Jennifer Honig
- Government Refuses to Follow Federal Court’s Discovery Order After Being Caught Recording Attorney Meetings with Prisoners at Leavenworth, by Dale Chappell
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Mississippi Joins Illinois and Few Other States Prioritizing Vaccination of State Prisoners to Slow Spread of COVID-19, by Derek Gilna
- Pandemic Medical Update: “Herd Immunity” at Prisons?, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Texas Winter Storm Freezes Plumbing, Power and Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Massachusetts Governor Ends Good Time Offer for Prisoners Taking COVID-19 Vaccine, by David Reutter
- Connecticut Lawmakers Refuse to Address Corrections Issues During Pandemic, by Anthony Accurso
- Confidential Settlement in Case Involving Alleged Pattern of Racist Misconduct in Michigan Prisons, by Casey Bastian
- California Trans Women Struggle For Protection Under Prison Rape Elimination Act, by Edward Lyon
- Oklahoma Prisoners Call for Better Nutrition, by Kevin Bliss
- Florida Jail Administrators Fired After Woman Gives Birth in Cell, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Holiday Cards for Prisoners: Let’s End Collective Punishment in U.S. Prisons, by Sandy Rozek
- Virginia Settles Two Lawsuits Over Misuse of Solitary Confinement, by Daniel A. Rosen
- COVID-19 Inspired Ban on Prison Visits in Texas Ends, by Chad Marks
- Activist, Political Prisoner, and Journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal Diagnosed With COVID-19, Energizing Calls for His Release, by Juliette LaMarr
- COVID-19 Pandemic Makes Job Hunting Especially Difficult for Ex-Offenders, by Kevin Bliss
- U.S. Sues Alabama Over Prison Conditions, by David Reutter
- Florida Prison Guard Indicted in Prisoner Death by Blunt Force Trauma, by David Reutter
- Michigan Begins Video Visits During Coronavirus Pandemic, by David Reutter
- Hawaii Fails to Provide Video of Two Prison Disturbances, by Edward Lyon
- California Prison Factories Fined For Exposing Unwitting Workers to COVID-19, by Mark Wilson
- Sixth Circuit Upholds Prisoner’s 18 U.S.C. § 111 Conviction for Assaulting Federally Contracted Private Prison Guard, by Matthew Clarke
- "Conservative New York County Enacts Progressive Transgender Prisoner Policy", by Mark Wilson
- COVID-19 Depletes State Prison Staffs Nationwide, Forcing Consolidation of Facilities and Increasing Risk to All, by Derek Gilna
- After 36 Years in a Louisiana Prison for a Rape He Didn’t Commit, Archie Williams Wins Freedom — and a TV Show Spotlight, by Casey Bastian
- COVID-19 Continues Rampage Through Pennsylvania State Prisons, by Derek Gilna
- $105,000 Settlement in Wisconsin Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim, by David Reutter
- Alabama Jails and Prisoners Swamped With COVID-Related Problems, by Daniel A. Rosen
- How States Exclude People With Criminal Records From Jury Service, by Dale Chappell
- Study Shows Misaligned Economic Incentives Fuel Mass Incarceration, by Matthew Clarke
- California Enacts Legislation Strengthening Protections for LGBTQ Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Baltimore Demolishes Maryland’s Oldest Penitentiary, Burying Its Nostalgia And Nightmares, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
- Books: “Let The Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty”, by Robert Dunham
- Florida Senator Wants to Keep Ex-Prisoners from Earning the $15 Minimum Wage Increase, by Kevin Bliss
- Former Prisoner Becomes Activist for LBGTQ Rights in California Prisons
- Parnall Correctional Facility in Michigan Copes with Scabies Outbreak, by Kevin Bliss
- Fourth Circuit: Deaf North Carolina Prisoner Should be Allowed Direct Videophone Calls to Communicate with Deaf Community, by David Reutter
- People in jails are using more phone minutes during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite decreased jail populations, by Andrea Fenster
- Ransomware Attack on GEO Group Exposes Sensitive Information, by Matthew Clarke
- Hundreds of Virginia Inmates Await Parole Consideration Under New Law, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Colorado’s Governor Bows to Pressure in Denying State Prisoners Priority COVID-19 Vaccinations, by Derek Gilna
- More Than 40 Immigrants Have Died in ICE Custody, by Anthony Accurso
- Experts Divided on Drug Court Effectiveness, by Kevin Bliss
- Secrecy Surrounded Flurry of Late-Term Federal Executions Under Donald Trump, by Derek Gilna
- New Advocacy Group for New Mexico Prisoners Created, by Dale Chappell
- Vermont Prisoner’s Death Under Investigation: Did Implicit Bias Play Role?, by Kevin Bliss
- News in Brief
More from Derek Gilna:
- Federal Judge in Louisiana Issues Sweeping Opinion Finding Numerous Eighth Amendment, ADA and RA Violations at Angola, April 1, 2022
- Human Rights Defense Center Prevails in Censorship Lawsuit Against Napa County Jail, California, Sept. 1, 2021
- California State Auditor’s Report Faults Counties for Waste and Poor Oversight of State Funds Used in “Public Safety Realignment”, Sept. 1, 2021
- The Fight Over Cellphones in Prisons Rages On, Sept. 1, 2021
- District Court Extends Armstrong Order to Five Additional California Prisons, Sept. 1, 2021
- HRDC Settles Censorship Lawsuit with Johnson County, Kansas Jail for $50,000 and Policy Changes, Aug. 1, 2021
- Virginia Prosecutors to Dismiss 400 Drug Convictions Tied to Disgraced Cop, July 15, 2021
- Discredited New York Police Detective’s False Testimony Causes the Dismissal of Close to 100 Drug Convictions, June 15, 2021
- D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences Firearms Examination Unit Under Fire, April 15, 2021
- Mississippi Joins Illinois and Few Other States Prioritizing Vaccination of State Prisoners to Slow Spread of COVID-19, April 1, 2021
More from these topics:
- Help Wanted: 31,000 Prison Guard Jobs Open Nationwide, Sept. 1, 2025. Conditions of Confinement, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Exercise, Lockdowns, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Guards/Staff, Staff Training.
- Fifth Circuit Greenlights Federal Takeover of Mississippi Jail, Aug. 1, 2025. Sexual Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Stun Guns/Tasers.
- CDCR Held in Contempt, Fined $112 Million in Longstanding Litigation Over Mental Health Care, Aug. 1, 2025. Staffing, Mental Health, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- DOJ Inspects BOP Food Service Operations, Finds Troubling Issues at Multiple Facilities, Aug. 1, 2025. Failure to Protect (General), Food, Staffing.
- Nebraska Considers Curbing Double-Bunking in Restrictive Housing, Aug. 1, 2025. Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding, Bedding.
- Watchdog Calls Out D.C. for Dragging Feet on Construction of New Jail, Aug. 1, 2025. Totality of Conditions, Overcrowding, Ventilation, Exercise, Exposure to Cold, Jail Specific, Lighting, Noise, Vermin, Exposure to Heat, Security Systems.
- Ongoing Detainee Deaths Push Rikers Island into Federal Court Receivership, July 15, 2025. Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Fire Hazards, Overcrowding, Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Environmental Law, Plumbing, Sewage, Jail Specific.
- Solving the Carceral Understaffing Crisis: What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why, July 15, 2025. Work Conditions/Safety, Overcrowding, Staffing, Exposure to Cold, Exposure to Heat.
- Punishment TV, July 1, 2025. Totality of Conditions, Food, Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Prison Tourism/Consumerism.
- New York Lifts Hiring Ban on Fired Striking Prison Guards, Announces Early Prisoner Releases, May 1, 2025. Work Strikes, Staffing, Parole, Guard Unions, Bail/Pretrial Release, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release.